Description
Car in excellent condition, ASI, FIVA homologated with numerous participations in the 1000 Miglia Storica re-enactment. This SIATA Daina that we are proposing is chassis no. SL0185, made as a one-off. The car was made during the early months of 1952 as a special order from SIATA's Commercial Director, Eng. Luigi Segre. Luigi Segre, in fact, in agreement with the SIATA management, considered it appropriate for the SIATA car to be officially present at the 1952 Mille Miglia, with an additional car in addition to the two Daina GS cars already entered, to confirm the competitive capabilities of the new Daina Gran Sport model and to show the versatility of the chassis, which could also be the basis for special sports bodies. The coachbuilder Rocco Motto of Turin was then personally commissioned to build a car with an aluminium body to take part in the Mille Miglia. Motto built a 'barchetta' type body in aluminium: thus was born this SL0185, which was very well-proportioned and had a balanced shape as well as being very light. Luigi Segre, however, was about to move to Ghia and relations at SIATA became strained. The SL0185 was finished and handed over to Segre who, however, resigned and left it to SIATA: the programme to take part in the Mille Miglia vanished and the life of the SL0185 took another course. 1952 was the year of SIATA's first foray into the United States. Here Ambrosini, general manager of SIATA met Tony Pompeo, an importer of Italian cars, and with him made a series of business deals. The SL0185 was shipped to the United States. It is not known who raced it, but it had an intense sporting life, demonstrated by the countless racing 'scars' that appeared when it was found. The car was studied at length when it was found and identified as chassis no. SL0185, later also recognised by Fiva and ASI bodies. Bridgehampton, Thompson and Cumberland were just some of the circuits where the car raced, until 1964, when the car had an accident that damaged the front end and it was decided to retire the SL0185 . A sports car dealer, during a visit to the Zobian collection, saw the SL0185 in a state of disrepair. He proposed an exchange for a Cisitalia 202 Pinin Farina. The exchange took place but the SL0185 remained in California for a long time. Another treasure hunter took some photos of the SL0185 and sent them in 2000 to Gilberto Focardi, an Italian collector. Thus the SL0185 returned to Italy and its restoration began. The SL0185 arrived at its last and most important restoration complete in all its parts. The fact that it had never been disassembled before made it clearly identifiable. The restoration team called in to work on the SL0185 carefully checked every single element and component of the car in order to determine the 'philosophy' of the restoration to be carried out on the car. The SL0185 can be defined as a 'high collection' car, with technical and historical content of great importance, handmade as a unique piece by a great builder like Rocco Motto. In full respect of originality, materials, colours and type of paint were used, identical to those of the car's period of origin. Similar attention has been paid to the mechanical parts. The drive unit that powers the Gran Sport SL0185 is one of those that were specifically prepared by SIATA from the 1, 393 cc. engine with the precise aim of being more competitive in the 1. 5-litre sports car category, which, especially in the United States, grouped extremely high-performance cars such as the O. S. C. A. of the Maserati Brothers, the Maserati 150S, the Porsche 356 and 550. The bore was increased to 82 mm. and the stroke to 70 mm. with a total displacement of 1, 480 cc. giving it around 80 bhp at 5, 800 rpm thanks also to a compression ratio of 8. 2:1. The special intake manifold with two Zenith carburettors was also made by SIATA themselves, drawing on their experience in the specific field of racing car preparations.
An engine with these modifications, like the one that was mounted on the SL0185, was installed on the 1500 Gran Sport that amazed with its performance at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1952 with Irish-Fergus, where it finished third overall and first in its class, beating far more powerful cars. This SIATA Daina we offer is an extraordinary car in excellent condition, ASI and FIVA certified, with numerous participations in the Mille Miglia Storica reenactment. The vehicle is chassis no. SL0185, a unique piece crafted in the early months of 1952 as a special order for SIATA's Commercial Director, Engineer Luigi Segre. Segre, in agreement with SIATA's management, believed it was appropriate for SIATA to have an official presence at the 1952 Mille Miglia with an additional car beyond the two already registered Daina GS models, to demonstrate the competitive capabilities of the new Daina Gran Sport model and showcase the versatility of its chassis, which could also serve as a base for special sports bodies. Segre personally commissioned Rocco Motto, a coachbuilder from Turin, to create an aluminium-bodied car for the Mille Miglia. Motto built a beautifully proportioned and well-balanced 'barchetta' body for SL0185, which was also remarkably lightweight. However, as Segre was about to move to Ghia, tensions arose within SIATA. Although SL0185 was completed and delivered to Segre, he left it with SIATA upon his resignation, and the plan to participate in the Mille Miglia was abandoned. SL0185's journey then took a different path. 1952 marked SIATA's first foray into the United States, where Ambrosini, SIATA's general manager, met Tony Pompeo, an importer of Italian cars, and established a series of commercial agreements. SL0185 was shipped to the United States, where it had an intense racing career, evidenced by the numerous 'battle scars' revealed when it was rediscovered. Upon its rediscovery, the car was carefully studied and identified as chassis no. SL0185, later confirmed by FIVA and ASI. SL0185 raced on circuits such as Bridgehampton, Thompson, and Cumberland until 1964, when it was involved in an accident that damaged the front end, leading to its retirement. In the 1960s, a sports car dealer visiting the Zobian collection saw the SL0185 in a state of abandonment and proposed a trade for a Cisitalia 202 Pinin Farina, which took place, but the SL0185 remained in California for many years. Another treasure hunter took some photos of SL0185 and sent them in 2000 to Gilberto Focardi, an Italian collector. This led to SL0185's return to Italy, where its restoration began. The car reached its final and most important restoration, with every part being complete. The fact that it had never been disassembled before made it easily identifiable. The restoration team carefully analysed each element and component to determine the proper restoration philosophy. SL0185 can be considered a "high-collection" car with significant technical and historical value, hand-built as a unique piece by a master coachbuilder like Rocco Motto. In full respect of its originality, materials, colours, and paint types identical to those of the car's original period were used. The same attention was given to the mechanical parts. The engine powering the Gran Sport SL0185 was one of those specifically prepared by SIATA, starting from a 1, 393 cc engine, to be more competitive in the 1. 5-liter sports car category. This category, especially in the United States, included extremely high-performance cars such as the Maserati brothers' O. S. C. A. s, Maserati 150S, Porsche 356, and 550. The bore was increased to 82 mm and the stroke to 70 mm, bringing the total displacement to 1, 480 cc, which delivered approximately 80 HP at 5, 800 rpm, thanks to a compression ratio of 8. 2:1. The special intake manifold with two Zenith carburetors was also designed by SIATA, drawing on their extensive experience in race car preparations. An engine with these modifications, like the one installed in SL0185, was also fitted to the 1500 Gran Sport, which amazed everyone with its performance at the 1952 12 Hours of Sebring, where it finished third overall and first in its class, outperforming much more powerful cars. Now, this car is ready to be registered for the most prestigious classic car competitions and events.
